


The Giant of Wall Maria

by RandomBird380



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Development, Child Eren Yeager, Childishness, Emotional Growth, Family Bonding, Gen, Gift Giving, No Romance, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, Titan Eren Yeager, Titan!Eren, Wall Maria (Shingeki no Kyojin), Wild Eren Yeager, learning to talk, wholesome family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:34:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23892403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomBird380/pseuds/RandomBird380
Summary: A giant walks unnoticed inside the outermost ring, Wall Maria, hidden by the trees of a wide forest. He has grown curious over the years, wandering the forest to find new things. This time, he takes a new path.A family's quaint little cottage is nearby where they breed horses. A man, a woman, and two children live relatively boring lives until the woman, Mary, hears a rumbling in the distance and opens their front door only to see humanity's worst nightmare as it squats down to look curiously at their house.In a world of fear, and unlikely friendship forms between a small rural family and the world's friendliest giant.(Inspired by RedCoaster's Rogue, which I highly recommend reading)
Comments: 93
Kudos: 430





	1. The Rumbling Footfalls

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Rogue](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2802785) by [RedCoaster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedCoaster/pseuds/RedCoaster). 



> I never really expected to be writing fanfiction of my own, but I suppose this is a good start. You could have read so many other fanfics, and yet here you are, reading my humble tale. It's touching, really, and I thank you for taking the time to look at what I've written. I will do my best to make this work as enjoyable as I can.

The sun’s rays just started to touch the horizon when the birds in the forest woke up, chirping and singing and ruffling their feathers while perched in the tall trees. Squirrels and rabbits and other small mammals moved about from their burrows and sniffed the cool air. A hawk was perched high on a branch, watching the world below it with its sharp, glaring yellow eyes. A few deer were wandering around, hidden behind the tall tree trunks. The leaves of the trees were bright green, vibrant in the late spring weather with their bases surrounded lightly by foliage and small flowers that peaked out to greet the gentle sunlight drifting down. Everything was peaceful.

Until a loud boom came from deep within the forest near the base of the looming mountain.

After the birds flew off in a panic, the entire forest stood still.

A boulder exploded violently, its fragments going this way and that; large and small pieces tore into the surrounding plant life and littered the forest floor. A particularly large chunk almost hit a poor squirrel that was just trying to find its stash of food, but luckily the fragment missed by a few inches. The squirrel scrambled up a tree to get away from whatever beast threw that boulder, peering curiously from behind a branch. The poor thing’s heart rate was quite fast and its nose twitched nervously as it kept one eye on where the boulder broke, searching for something large and terrifying.

Was it a wolf? No, their mouths are too small to pick it up. A bear perhaps? Maybe. The squirrel didn’t know just how strong a bear was, but it hadn’t seen any bears lately. Maybe the bear thought that the boulder was a giant nut or a special type of berry, like the squirrel’s brother did.

There was another noise, far off from where the small boulder (though still quite large to the poor terrified squirrel) hit the side of what it thought was an entire mountain, though it was just a small part of an even bigger mountain. The noise sounded like thunder, but it was repetitive, like when the bears walk, but slower. Was it one of those humans again? The weird animals that had no fur on their face and necks and paws? Their fur wasn’t always bear colored or wolf colored, but sometimes a pale color or even a dark sky or grassy color. It was weird to the poor squirrel, too weird, and so it scuttled up to the top of the tree’s highest branch and hopped, tree after tree, away from the thundering sounds that almost seemed to be getting closer. It wouldn’t be eaten today, and it didn’t plan on getting eaten tomorrow either.

The footsteps thudded heavily on the forest floor as the beast walked slowly over to where he had thrown the boulder. The giant didn’t need to throw the rock, of course, but he wanted to see how close to the mountain he could get it. He was quite proud of how far he tossed it, but as he got closer he frowned, or at least tried to, as he saw the scattered pieces of stone scattered around where it had collided with a small piece of the mountain that jutted out into the forest. He sighed as he stopped walking, staring at the fragments sadly before turning around and walking back to the river nearby. The sun was nice today, and the birds were very talkative, their birdsong filling the forest with sounds again when they settled back on their perches and ruffled their feathers. He walked near a few deer, their heads swiveled towards him, attentive. They went back to their grazing when he passed by.

He wasn’t a bad giant, or at least he didn’t think he was. He was a bit curious, and he became bored and aggravated very easily, but he tried to keep the forest relatively peaceful. Well, his boulder definitely disrupted things, but only for a minute or two. (There was also that time when he thought it was a good idea to try to run at the mountain and run up the side instead of climbing. After falling down and shaking everything around him, he decided that maybe it wasn’t the best idea.)

When he reached the river, he sat down on the bank near where the boulder had been. The spot felt empty now, and he regretted throwing it even more as he hung his head and sulked. At least the fish were colorful and nice to watch in the water. There were a few big red ones, a long, thin silver one, and a snake that passed by his foot. The snake was interesting to watch. The giant actually thought that the snake was a type of fish that learned to swim on land, and he smiled, or at least tried to, as the snake disappeared into the grass.

He was bored. Very, very bored. He had watched the sunrise and it was nice, like most days. Then he did his morning stretching and wandered around. There were deer and wolves and squirrels and birds and rabbits and, after a while, his eyes started to glaze over. He had seen them over and over again. The deer were still deer, wolves still wolves, and raccoons… well, they were still interesting. He rarely saw raccoons. He only saw them when he stayed up late at night, and they looked funny with their little masks and ringed tails. And the rabbits were also intriguing because whenever he tried observing them they always dashed away. He’d never seen a rabbit up close, but they looked similar to the squirrels that hopped in the trees.

A splash in the water caught his attention and his head turned quickly, his long black hair being thrown across his face. His green eyes darted around, trying to find what made the noise, but only the fish were swimming around. He shrugged, concluding it was just the fish, and picked himself up off of the grass. There was a tree with a birds nest by the river that he wanted to look at again. Last time he looked at it there were five tiny blue stones. This time when he walked over, he peeked inside and was surprised to see five tiny birds sitting there instead, yelling at him when he hunched down to look. He was very happy when he saw them, and as he looked at the baby birds and studied their tiny fluffy bodies as he rumbled in content. Straightening up again, he decided to walk over to the mountain and explore, since the day was still relatively young and promising.

His heavy footsteps thudded and shook the forest floor, no matter how hard he tried to soften them. He took his normal path to the mountain, passing to the right of where he threw the boulder, but instead of going along the side of the mountain like he normally did, he decided to stray away from it. He noted where he was and moved past the tall trees that just barely passed over his head. He kept walking and, after a long while, he started to find his surroundings unfamiliar. There was a clearing that opened up, much bigger than the one near the river, that had a few strange looking deer grazing in an area surrounded by a long line of slender sticks that wrapped around them, arranged too precisely to be natural. The strange-looking deer with their long faces had hair like him, long and unruly.

As he stepped out from the treeline he noticed a small house of wood next to the fenced-in area, but he had never seen one before. Curiosity controlled him as he walked over to get a better look. He looked closely at the small building. He saw that its sides were made with trees, and there were bricks at the front surrounding a wooden door, though he didn’t know what a door, or bricks, were. As he hunched down to look at the door, it swung open, startling him, and he fell back in surprise as he saw an animal he’d never seen before step out with an equally surprised, though also terrified, expression on its face as it yelled something and shut the door quickly.

After a moment the giant huffed out in exasperation, the steam rising up as he thought of how interesting this new thing was. He was full of curiosity and wanted to know everything he could about it, and he wondered why it also walked on only two legs like him when almost everything else in the woods walked on four. Was it a small giant? He wanted to know, so he settled himself down, crossing his legs as he stared at the house, waiting for something else to happen.

Meanwhile, Mary was terrified. She had never seen a titan before, and she certainly didn’t expect to see one within Wall Maria. She called out to her husband and children, yelling at them to get into the basement as fast as they could while grabbing some food from the kitchen. Small little Buttercup came down with tired eyes, just waking up from her nap as she held her brother’s hand as he led her down the stairs.

“What is it, Mom?” Timothy called to her. “What’s happened?”

“Titans!” she replied. “They’re here, get to the basement, now!”

As his eyes went wide he gathered up Buttercup in his arms and ran downstairs to the basement, her little stuffed bear falling from her arms. She cried out softly in protest, her small hands grasping at the air towards her doll, but Tim ignored her and rushed down the stairs. His father was already down, getting his hunting rifle ready just in case. Mary was right behind him holding as much food as she could as she shut the basement door. They all settled, tense and quiet, waiting for anything to come.

An hour passed, and nothing had happened. The giant huffed in annoyance. After a few minutes, he got bored and looked at the animals grazing in the fenced area. They were interesting, with their knobbly knees and long faces. But he soon became bored with that too. So he went back to studying the house, looking at how the roof and sides were made and trying to figure out what it really was. But he got bored yet again. And so here he was, sitting with his arms and legs crossed as his brow furrowed and he thought to himself as he stared at the door expectantly. Nothing was happening.

Inside the house, Buttercup was playing another game with Tim as he tried to teach her numbers by writing them on an old paper he found in the basement with his writing charcoal. It was fun, but Tim was getting tired of entertaining his little sister. Mary and her husband, Darik, were restless, wondering whether what Mary saw was actually there or not. They had heard the footsteps, and Mary had thrown open the door to check, but now there was nothing but silence. Maybe it was because they were in the basement and the titan had lost interest. Darik stood up suddenly. He picked up his hunting knife and made his way over to the basement door, rifle in hand.

“Darik, what are you doing?” Mary hissed, getting up and grabbing his arm. “You can’t possibly go up when they’re out there!”

“Mary, darlin’, I’m just gonna take a peek to see if the coast is clear.” He leaned over and kissed her. “I’ll be back in a jiffy, so don’t you worry.”

Her sad eyes watched him as he walked up the stairs and opened the door. Darik carefully eyed the first floor, his hands gripping on his rifle for comfort. His eyes passed over Buttercup’s little bear, and he picked it up, putting it next to the basement door. He looked at the windows, seeing and hearing nothing out of the ordinary by the horses and woods, or in the stretch of fields on the other side of the house. He cursed his great grandparents for not including a window by the front door as he made his way over to it.

The wood boards creaked under his feet as he steadily walked towards the stairs. He would check the upstairs window in Timothy’s small bedroom to stay safe. The stairs groaned in protest, and he was shaking nervously, palms sweaty as he marched up slowly. He opened up Tim’s door and walked to the window, its blinds still covering the glass. Drawing back the blinds, he stopped, horrified.

The titan was sitting there, its arms crossed as its dark, tangled hair covered part of its grotesque face. Its eyes were surrounded by shadow, making it look sinister, and his mouth had no lips to cover its giant serrated teeth. It was huge, muscular, and with its terrifying glare, it looked like a living nightmare. Darik’s eyes widened with shock.

His fear was tinted with anger as he gripped his rifle harder. He was terrified, yes, but he wasn’t going to let this beast kill his family without taking a few hits. He opened the window, aiming the firearm at the titan. Its head turned slowly as it noticed him opening the window, and its eyes widened. It started to move, leaning forward as its arms started to reach for the house. It balanced itself on its hands and knees, looking at the terrified man in the window with its intense green eyes. There was a silence, and Darik’s finger faltered. His energy was sapped out of him from fear, and his hands shook so much he couldn’t hold the rifle anymore.

The titan started to move its right arm, fingers outstretched as it reached for the window. Darik let out a short scream as he jumped back, dropping his forgotten rifle. He fell to the floor, hitting his head on Timothy’s dresser. Dazed and terrified, Darik tried to get out of the room but froze when he saw the titan’s finger nudge the window open more, shattering the glass. The titan stopped, looking at the now broken window, and its hand quickly retracted back to its side. Darik quickly crawled to the hallway and picked himself up, making his way back downstairs, his rifle forgotten next to the window, just as the bear was forgotten by the basement door.

A slow, heavy set of footprints was barely heard from the basement as Mary and Darik talked exasperatedly, their voices too loud for them to notice.


	2. The Chill of Anticipation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family of four cowers in fear as they hide in their small basement. Not sure what to do, they try to plan on how they can survive if the titans have gotten through Wall Maria.
> 
> Little do they know, a future friend attempts to leave gifts for them.

The family spent the night huddled together in their stone basement as they tried to ignore the cold radiating off of the floor and walls. There was a slight draft coming from the small window that caused the flame of the puny candle in front of the family to dance energetically. The basement was dark, the moon’s rays blocked behind a cluster of clouds and unable to be seen through the dirty glass of the window. The family waited. For what, they weren’t sure, but they waited nonetheless, and the night grew colder.

Mary wearily eyed the meager pile of food sitting off to the side and clenched her jaw, cursing the titans for existing. She was going over how much to ration when Buttercup moved around again, her tiny elbow jutting into her thigh on a pressure point she never knew she had. Mary hissed slightly as she picked her daughter up and repositioned her in her lap as she eyed Darik. He was sitting closer to the stairs with his weapons, keeping an eye on the door. They had been passing the time with little games, trying to get Buttercup to calm down with small songs and stories, but after some time she started to cry as she babbled incoherently about her bear.

“Hush now, it’s ok, little flower. Don’t cry,” Mary said as she gently held Buttercup close, rocking the child gently as she stroked her daughter’s light brown hair. “Everything’s going to be ok. We’ll get your bear soon. Hush.”

Darik leaned forward and put a comforting hand on his daughter’s back, rubbing it slowly as he started humming her favorite lullaby. Mary joined in softly, but Tim stayed quiet, watching his little sister.

She eventually settled down after many kind words from her parents, her eyes still red from her tears as she hiccuped lightly. She finally started to doze off as her eyes closed, and Mary reached over to grab an old coat to use as a temporary blanket. After they finished the soft lullaby, a moment passed in silence as the other three watched her, each of their faces melancholic as the candle’s weak flame cast violent shadows around them. Timothy decided to get some sleep too and curled up on the floor, hugging his own jacket across his small shoulders. Darik and Mary, however, were still wide awake. The man’s eyes were staring off into nothing as he fiddled with his emergency pistol, cleaning it with a rag repeatedly. Even before he started wiping it down, it was polished enough to make an officer of the Military Police jealous.

“Darik, honey, you should get some sleep too.” Mary’s voice was low and steady, but her expression betrayed her feelings. She watched his face with worry as he took a moment to respond.

“I’m alright, Mary. I’ll take the first watch and wake you when I’m feeling drowsy.”

He looked over at her, a weak smile on his frightened face. She wasn’t convinced, but she decided that taking turns watching was better than everyone staying awake. Mary gently moved Buttercup and repositioned herself in a more comfortable position, trying to sleep as Darik resumed polishing his pistol, his eyes distant as he checked it again and ran the rag over the barrel, sighing.

___________________________

The night passed and the sun’s rays crept through the basement door, the old clock in the main room reading just past 7 as Darik’s eyes opened. He’d fallen asleep without waking Mary. Looking over, he checked his wife and kids as they continued sleeping. Tim was sprawled out on the floor, drool caked on the side of his mouth as he snored lightly. Mary was looking as graceful as ever, holding Buttercup close to her as they both clung on to the dirty old coat. Darik leaned over and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face and stood up carefully.

He unsheathed his knife, holding it steady as he opened the basement door. Checking the windows, he saw nothing out of the ordinary, except he noticed in the distance, just near the fence, there was a large pile of branches that wasn’t there before. He decided to ignore this and made his way to the pantry to grab some dried meat for Buttercup and Tim. He also grabbed some bread. They’d need to eat it before it got moldy. He quietly turned back to the basement door, spotting Buttercup’s stuffed bear but his arms were too full to pick it up, so he ignored it. He struggled slightly with closing the door and was surprised and happy to hear Mary’s voice as he walked down the stairs.

“Darik, what were you doing?”

“I grabbed some jerky for the kids and the bread before it gets moldy.” He handed a piece to his wife. “Here, eat. You need your strength if we want to get through this.”

The two parents ate in silence, waiting for their kids to wake up. Buttercup woke up first, happy to eat some jerky for breakfast. Tim took another hour to fully wake up, his hair a mess as he drowsily accepted some food. Even though they were terrified, they tried to make their morning as enjoyable as usual. Mary mentioned how she would think about keeping a few blankets down in the basement just in case, and Darik mentioned the new pile of branches next to the horses. Mary joked that maybe the titan they saw was actually friendly and just wanted to collect some more firewood for them. Darik gave a dry chuckle, but the joke didn't lighten the mood.

Buttercup was still distraught about her bear still missing and, after they finished eating, she started to cry again. Tim tried comforting her, but Mary stood up, marched up the basement stairs, and grabbed the bear quickly. She stopped, though. Her hand was gripped onto the bear’s little arm when she heard something. A series of distant thuds, like footfalls. She darted to the window as it seemed to make its way closer, her eyes focused on the moving leaves of the treetops, the branches swaying as a dark head bobbed through the sea of green.

There was the titan, making its way through the treeline and approaching their horses. The horses barely reacted as the giant monster walked past their fenced area though one of their younger horses that had been standing closer to the titan nervously stepped away from the heavy footfalls. The giant was carrying something in its cupped hands as it made its way over to the pile of large branches. Mary’s eyes widened when the titan bent down and placed the branches neatly on the pile by the fence. A few branches thicker than Mary’s arm snapped loudly as the titan pressed down slightly, making her flinch. What was it doing? Mary stepped back from the window, stuffed bear still in hand, and turned back to the basement just as the titan straightened up.

“Darik!” She called down, her voice hysterical. “The titan’s bringing wood from the forest! Why would a titan do such a thing?!” She hastily gave Buttercup her bear without a glance and looked at her husband. “What should we do? What can we do?”

Darik frowned, brow furrowed. Timothy looked at his parents expectantly.

“Well,” Darik began. “I don’t know, Mary.” He picked himself up and went over to her, bringing her into a light embrace. “Let’s just wait a bit longer until we figure out how to get out of here safely.”

“What, are we just gonna take two horses to the village?” Mary shook her head. “It’s most likely overrun, and we can’t risk that,” she pointed out.

Darik sighed and brought a hand up to his face. “Well, yeah, you’re right.”

Tim stood up and stretched, his eyes worried as he walked over to his parents. “What if we go to the inner walls?” he asked. “Won’t they take us in?”

Darik nodded. “Yes, but it’s too long of a ride, and we don’t have any good way to defend ourselves against the titans while riding.”

“Even if we take Betsy?” Tim’s voice was shaky.

“Even with Betsy,” Darik replied sadly.

“We’d need two horses anyway,” Mary added. “Unless we take the old cart, but that would slow us down too much. We’d be…” She trailed off, eyes reflecting just how scared and hopeless she felt. “We’d never make it, even if we tried.”

Darik grabbed his wife’s hands. “Mary, don’t think like that! We’ll get through this, I promise. We just have to stay strong.”

“Even with an intelligent man-eating titan roaming around our woods?” Her voice raised again and Buttercup started to whine. Tim rushed over to his sister to distract her, trying to keep her calm.

“We don’t know how intelligent it is yet, honey.”

“What do we know, then?” Mary slid her hands out of his grasp and hugged her arms close.

There was a pause, and the two adults stood still. Darik let out another heavy sigh, looking down at the floor as he absently ran his hands over his face.

“Well, it's bringing wood,” he started. “And when I went upstairs to check the front of the house, it started to reach for me. I was terrified and tried to get away, but when it broke the window’s glass... it stopped. It just froze, looking at its hand. Then it pulled its hand back quickly and just sat there as I rushed back downstairs.”

Mary nodded. He had already told her right after it happened.

“That doesn’t say anything about its smarts, does it?” Tim asked nervously.

Mary frowned. She nervously ran her hands through her hair. “What should we do? By the Walls, what should we do?” she whispered. “What if...” her voice rose again. “...By some miracle, it won’t eat us?”

Darik threw up his arms. “If it doesn’t want to eat us, then why is it here?” He plopped down on the floor and took his knife out to sharpen it. He’d forgotten to do it last night.

“I’m goin’ back upstairs later to get my rifle. We’ll need everything we can defend ourselves with, even if it’s just firearms and a hunting knife. Maybe we could take out its eyes with the guns, and while it’s blind we can get away.” His tone was both irritated and defeated.

“We can’t possibly take down a titan!”

“Still, it’ll make me feel better. I’ll even grab a few books for the kids so they’re not so bored, and a few blankets.” Darik leaned over and rested his hand on Mary’s shoulder. “I’ll be fine. I won’t go near the windows, and I’ll make sure the titan doesn’t see me.”

Mary slowly nodded, holding back anxious tears as she sat down next to the kids, watching them with sad eyes. Buttercup was happily playing with her bear, making it walk on Tim’s leg and saying nonsense to her brother. Tim allowed himself to be distracted with his sister, momentarily forgetting the titan outside as he made up a story with the stuffed bear.

The sound of Darik’s whetstone sharpening his knife softly echoed off of the walls and floors, mixing with the voices of Buttercup and Tim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading. I'm planning on posting Chapter 3 this Saturday, so stay tuned for an update.
> 
> Once again, if you notice any grammar mistakes, let me know!


	3. The Difficulties of Giftgiving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our gentle giant struggles with the gift he wants to give the family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but don't worry too much. I'll be slowing down slightly with chapter uploads, but I'm going to set the goal of uploading every Saturday from now on.

Shrubs and ferns were crushed under the giant feet that stepped through the thin forest as the giant returned to the clearing with more branches in his hand. He grumbled as he came back to the small pile by the horse stables a third time, and he gently placed his handful of wood down. The pile itself was a few meters tall with branches thicker than a person's fist, some still holding on to their leaves. It was a gift from the giant, though he wasn’t sure why they would need so many branches if they already had a home. They didn't need to make a nest, birds, and the horses already had their own housing. If they didn’t need it, why did he put in all the effort to gather it? He frowned, or at least tried to, as he tried to think of what to do with the pile of wood. 

An idea came to him that he’d never had before. He could make something out of the wood! But what would he make? Maybe a giant nest, like birds did. He huffed in doubt, steam flowing through his teeth in small streams. That was a stupid idea; he'd already noticed they didn't need a nest. Eyeing the horse stable, an additional idea came to him. And so, the giant started taking large branches to a little spot near the front of the house, but farther from the horses. After gathering enough branches, he started to arrange them. He was extremely clumsy at first, trying to stack the branches vertically like trees were. This didn’t work too well, even when he stabbed them into the ground. They would fall over easily, and there were large gaps between the branches. He also couldn’t figure out how to make the roof with the branches upright, so he looked at the big house for inspiration. 

The giant took a long moment, walking around the house and studying it closely, seeing how the logs on the sides were different from the bricks on one side of the house. Satisfied, he walked back to the forest and looked around for any dead or dying trees, finding only a few in the surrounding area. They were each too varied in height and width, but he took his time collecting them anyway and brought them over to the branch pile, and he tried his best to make… something from what he had. 

An hour passed with lots of angry grunts and some aggressive and unnecessary stomping as the giant tried desperately to make a small house. He managed to make a crude shack, first stabbing four small trees deep into the ground, each acting as corners and sticking upright. Then, by using the large branches with sticks jutting off the sides, he stacked the limbs between the upright trees and made three walls. He left the fourth wall open so things could enter, but he didn’t know what to do for the roof. He tried using branches as beams and crisscrossing them, but they kept falling off or getting snagged, so he decided to wait until later to focus on it. 

He was mentally exhausted from this difficult project, but he was proud of what he’d done. He’d never made something for another creature before, so he felt happy in a strange way. He just hoped that the family would actually like it when they came out of hiding, and then maybe they could all be together. 

After some time of sitting and appreciating his handiwork, he opened his maw slightly and a large cloud of steam escaped, almost like a yawn. He was getting bored again but he was too energetic to keep laying around. It was just past noon, and the sun was shining very bright with fluffy clouds in the bright blue sky. The birds were singing their songs, flying gracefully and hopping around on the ground. A few deer wandered over to the side of the house near the horses and slowly passed by. His eyes shifted from the house to the trees as he tried to think of what to do. He then looked at the stretch of land away from the forest, clear of any trees. It was a new sight, unexplored, and so he decided to investigate. 

He started walking at first, looking around the empty plains as he got further away from the house. There was a section near the house that was squared off. It was a field, used for farming, but he didn’t know that, and he would have crushed the crops if there hadn’t been a fence around it. Once he passed the field, he stopped. Looking around he saw nothing very interesting, only the occasional tree and rock, but this area offered a sort of freedom to him. He started to run around, his feet pounding heavily on the dirt as he kept the house in sight. He quickly began to pick up speed, racing across the grass as fast as he could. For quite some time he just ran, as swift as the wind, but then he started darting, turning around abruptly and sprinting in zig-zags. He imagined there was a second giant like him to race against as he tore up the plains, his steps making craters in the earth and throwing up dirt and rocks while scaring the poor lizards and gophers hiding, burrowed underground. Around twenty minutes passed and he started to slow down, turning back to the house and jogging over to the building. He was, for the first time in a while, physically tired. 

He started to worry when he stopped by the roofless hut he made, his eyes focused on the door of the main house where the family was, to his disappointment, still hiding. He wondered if they were stuck, imagining the two figures he’d seen trying to open the door desperately. He shook his head and huffed another cloud of steam before sitting down again next to the crude shack, crossing his legs and resting his hands on his knees. He would stay here until the small giants came out to see his gift. But then the image of the terrified rabbits and squirrels popped in his head. The figures did seem skittish like rabbits, and the man had screamed when the giant broke their window, but the giant was hopeful and decided to stay put anyway to see if they would come out of the house. 

Time passed and the sun was starting to set. The poor, lonely giant was beginning to lose his hope from before. It could have been because he was easily bored, but it could also have been the overwhelming anticipation he felt. Whatever it was, he still waited, looking over the horses and trying to build a roof on his hut out of the few branches leftover from his small building. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I really enjoy reading feedback and the supportive comments you guys leave. It warms my bird heart to see them. I'm going to try making this story as enjoyable as I can, and once again, make sure to let me know if there are any grammar mistakes I left in or any suggestions in general.


	4. Basements, Blankets, and Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darik musters up his courage to grab his rifle and some blankets from upstairs, seeing the titan's crude building from Tim's broken window. Mary grows more curious about the titan, though her frustration and confusion still cloud her mind.

Shortly after Darik started sharpening his knife, the footsteps of the titan became louder, shaking the ground in irregular bursts. Buttercup started crying, and Tim was scared enough to cling to Mary along with his sister. With a shaky breath, Darik turned to his wife and said he would wait to get the blankets. And so he stayed, and they waited. Only after the heavy steps faded off did Darik consider exiting the basement, and when he did he raced as fast as he could to grab the extra blankets from the closet upstairs and darted to Tim’s room. There was his gun, right where he had left it on the floor surrounded by the broken glass, but as he reached out his hand to pick it up he noticed something strange outside.

Darik’s brows furrowed as he stared at what he could only imagine being the worst looking shed in his life made out of small trees and very large branches, seemingly stacked haphazardly, the walls uneven. There wasn’t even a roof. It was as if a child made it.

Sudden movement on the horizon tore his attention from the shack of branches, past the small fields.

The titan was running in the open plains. Sprinting as fast as it could, turning abruptly and darting in zig-zags. A moment passed without him noticing, and the titan started to slow down, turning to the house, slowing down to a walk as it let out a huge cloud of steam. Its long dark hair and muscular form made it look extra intimidating as it towered over the small trees that separated the house and horses from the open plains.

“What is it doing?” Darik asked under his breath.

He quickly turned away from the broken window, gun and blankets in his arms, and raced down the stairs to the main floor only to see Mary standing in the basement doorway.

She saw the expression on his face as he raced over to her and she grabbed his arm lightly in concern.

“Darik, what’s happened now?”

“It’s… it’s comin' back.” He shook his head. “It was runnin' around and now it’s comin' back.”

“What?”

“It made somethin', and then it was runnin'…” Darik’s voice was barely above a whisper as they started walking down, their boots hitting the old boards as the wood creaked from age. Mary’s dark blue looked almost black in the shadows before they stepped down onto the dimly lit basement floor.

“Dad, what happened?” Tim was trying to keep Buttercup away from his jacket. She had been trying to put it on her bear, but began chewing on the sleeve.

Darik dropped the blankets unceremoniously on the floor next to Tim and Buttercup, then sat down next to them with his rifle. His muscles were tense, jaw clenched, and his free hand's fingers drummed on his knee nervously. Mary just observed, slowly picking up the blankets and started folding them neatly before placing them off to the side again. One was a large quilt, the second a small blanket her mother made many years ago, and the third was a rough blanket Darik’s brother had brought back from his time in the Garrison.

Darik spoke up, his voice slightly strained. “It’s making something, but I don’t know what it is.” Mary seemed to slow as she finished folding the third blanket, setting it on top of the other two as he continued. “It was this…” His hands grasped the air as he tried to explain it. He sighed heavily. “It’s the worst looking shed I’ve seen in my life. It’s uneven, but big, and it was made of those branches it brought over from the woods, I think.”

“That explains the pile,” Mary’s voice was once again tightened with frustrated confusion. “But why would a  _ titan _ of all things need to build… well, _anything_?” She plopped herself down onto the floor next to her husband, who gently put his hand on her knee to comfort her. Despite how confused, scared, and frustrated he was too, he let out a small, dry chuckle.

“It doesn’t even have a roof.” He leaned over slightly and pressed his shoulder against hers. “Maybe it gave up and went for a run. Who knows what that damn beast is thinking.”

Mary let out a quick puff of air through her nose, a weak smile forcing its way to her lips. She turned more to Darik, giving him a small kiss. “It probably looks better than anything you’d make,” she said with a smirk.

He scoffed, mockingly placing his hand on his chest with a false expression of hurt broken by his poorly hidden grin. “How could you say such a thing? And here I thought you loved me.” He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into an embrace spoiled by their fear.

It was forced humor, but it was enough to relax the family slightly, bringing back something normal as they continued to hide in fear. They couldn’t deny that they were all tired and cramped. After only being able to walk around in the dingy basement and play with musty toys or random items packed away, the kids were restless. Mary’s hips hurt every time she sat down on the floor, though she refused to admit it, and while Darik was trying to be brave like his father and brother, he was in truth more terrified than Mary was. Timothy had a nightmare last night, waking up in a cold sweat, panicking. None of them had gotten any quality sleep except for Buttercup.

Moments dragged on and Timothy decided to look through an old toy box he found underneath an old fruit crate full of dusty family portraits, a few books, and a sewing kit. His parents took the crate to look through the contents while he struggled to take the lid off of the toy box. Without looking, Darik called over to Tim, telling him to unlatch it. Buttercup walked over to her brother and peered into the box with him, both looking through the various trinkets and treasures within.

  
  


_______________________________________

  
  


Darik didn’t go back upstairs that day. He was terrified of the titan, and he’d been brave too many times for his comfort. Mary, however, still wondered what the titan was up to, and the curiosity gnawed at her, urging her to go back upstairs and see what it was for herself. Finally, it was dusk. Darik and Mary arranged the blankets and any extra fabrics or clothes they could to make their second night more comfortable, giving the kids the softer blanket their grandmother made while Darik and Mary used the scratchy military blanket. The quilt was placed on the floor for all of them to lay on and was at least able to keep them slightly warmer than before.

Darik wrapped his arms around Mary and they rested their heads on an old jacked they folded up to use as a pillow. Tim was attempting to scold Buttercup for taking most of the blanket, but he got reprimanded by his parents instead. The sounds of crickets seeped through the small window as the moon’s rays were mostly obscured, both by the angle of the window and the clouds in the sky, hidden from view. It was, once again, overwhelmingly peaceful, adding a subtle irony to the situation the family thought they were in. Hours passed, and each of them slowly drifted off to sleep.

Except for one.

Mary had made sure to stay awake, doing math in her head, biting her tongue, and digging her nails into her palms. Almost an entire hour passed before she slowly slid out from between Darik’s arms. She made sure he was still asleep. If he had woken up, she would have just said she was using the chamberpot.

Slipping off her boots, she carefully stepped up the stone and wood stairs, pausing whenever the old wood creaked under her weight, the sound deafening in the quiet. It was a slow process: step, pause, step, pause, step, pause. Then, she was finally at the basement door. The old hinges groaned in protest, but luckily not enough for the sound to wake any of the others. Slipping through when it opened enough, she made sure the door stayed in place, using her boots to stop it from closing and making more noise.

The clouds parted enough for the waning moon’s rays to shine through the window over the kitchen sink. Abandoned dishes sat on the drying rack and a few were left unwashed in the sink, the dishtowel thrown on top of the dry plates. Mary looked over to the dining table only a few feet away from the kitchen counters. There was a mug of coffee left half full sitting on the end of the table closest to the sink, forgotten. Past the counters was the front door, a coat on the floor by it from when Mary bumped into the coat rack after first seeing the titan.

Passing by the table, Mary recalled the distant memory of her time at school when she learned about titans. From what she remembered, they were less active at night. Her hand hovered over the handle, and she took a slow, deep breath before turning it, pulling it open slowly. The night air was cool on her skin, and the light from the moon cast shadows from the trees onto the grass. Across the yard, just before the thin strip of trees between the horses and fields, there loomed the crude shed.

Mary couldn’t help but freeze when a looming shape moved behind it.

She held her breath unconsciously, watching the hidden shape as the moon illuminated it enough for her to see that it was sitting down, legs crossed and head down. Its dark hair hung down like a matted curtain, hiding its grotesque face from view. Its shoulders moved from its breathing, steady and slow.

Mary stood there, unsure of what she was doing as a soft breeze ruffled the leaves of the trees and the fabric of her dress. She had a plan, insane as it was, but she was desperate enough to follow it through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I tried a slightly different format for this chapter, just to help break up the dialogue and paragraphs a bit. I feel like my previous chapters are a bit too cramped, but let me know what you think.


	5. Stables After Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary takes care of the horses with a wary eye on the resting titan.

The clouds parted, allowing the silver rays of moonlight to shine down on everything below. The trees cast deep shadows onto the foliage and wild grass. One of the horses moved from the stable area to a muddy patch of grass, invisible from where the woman in the dark blue dress stood.

Mary took half a step back from the door, closing it most of the way, and spied Darik’s large pair of rainboots that sat underneath the coat rack. She grabbed them and slipped them on, leaving her boots to prop open the basement door for when she got back. Darik’s boots were two sizes too big for her, but she was still able to walk without tripping. She grabbed a coat from the rack, threw it over her shoulders, and opened the door wider, stepping out into the crisp night air.

She needed to take care of the horses, and the titan was resting.

She closed the door behind her, slowly. Her eyes never left the giant form behind the crude shed. The titan’s shoulders shifted noticeably as a thin wisp of steam rose from behind the veil of matted dark hair, barely visible if not for the moon’s rays shining down. Mary froze in her tracks a few feet away from the door, muscles tight in anticipation.

After almost a minute she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

The walk to the horse stable was much longer than usual, her steps slow and careful as she continued to eye the titan’s form, her feet shifting in the large boots. They squeaked slightly with every step as the old rubber soles bent and shifted. She twisted her hands into the fabric of her dress, lifting it up to keep it out of the grass.

As the door to the stables opened slowly, the few horses inside turned their heads, each gazing at her from behind the closed gates with a large eye, hungry, thirsty, and ready to move around. She worked quickly, feeding the horses, giving them water, and changing their straw.

Over two hours passed.

The only movement from the titan as she worked was from its breathing, or a soft breeze shifting its hair. It stayed still, the moon’s rays shining down on its skin and matted hair as clouds passed by, obstructing the light off and on, throwing the beast into more shadow before it was illuminated once again. Mary could barely see it through the small windows of the stable.

She brushed the mane of their fastest horse, Betsy. She was the closest thing to a racehorse they could have, though she was mostly going to be used for making a few more foals before being sold off to a rich noble. Mary’s mind drifted off as she brushed, her thoughts obviously troubled, reflected by the look in her eyes as she unconsciously let out a slow, heavy sigh.

She stepped back, satisfied with what she’d done, and put the brush away along with a few stray items. She snuffed out the lamps she’d lit to see inside, the wisps of smoke invisible in the dark. The large boots squeaked as she turned towards the door, ready to go back inside the main house. Back to safety. The large door opened slowly, just a crack, and she looked out at the titan sitting off in the distance, partially hidden by the crude building of branches. She stepped out cautiously, just as she did when she first stepped outside.

A powerful breeze blew when she was halfway to the house. The fabric of her dress and her hair were pulled violently by it, seeming to push her towards the house, but she kept her eyes on the titan as its hair was pushed to the side.

Its eyes were half-lidded, staring straight forward at the grass in front of it with a blank stare.

And slowly, with what felt like the speed of cold molasses, its eyes moved.

And it looked right at Mary.

It was as if time itself was cowering in fright from the monstrous face. Her breathing became ragged as she stumbled, the boots tripping her feet as she tried to reach the door. Her heart was racing, and she turned her head away as she turned the handle, swung the door open, spun around once inside, and slammed the door shut, forgetting the sleeping figures in the basement down below.

She could still see those eyes.

Her heart was racing, and she slid down to the floor, back pressed against the wooden doorframe. She sat there, breathing rapidly, trying desperately to calm down.

Loud footsteps came from the basement and the propped door was thrown open all the way. Darik stopped when he saw her, his figure a silhouette except for his left arm, which was just barely within the strip of moonlight shining from the window.

“Mary!” he hissed, his voice a harsh, loud whisper. “What are you doing?!”

He rushed over and kneeled down next to her, expression hardened with the protective anger only best friends and caring family members seemed to muster.

Except, when he leaned close enough to her and really looked at her face, all anger fell away, leaving only his worry and fear.

“Mary…” He brought up a hand to her face, wiping away a streak of tears from her cheek she didn’t know was there. “You’re safe now. Just tell me what happened.”

Wiping her face with her sleeve and grabbing Darik’s hand, she took another shaky breath, interlocking their fingers. She was still shaking. She tried to reply “I’m fine,” but the words stuck in her throat. She stayed silent, pulled her husband into a hug, and breathed.

The two sat on the floor together long enough for the small clock in the main room just above the old fireplace to strike 12. Mary had calmed down enough to tell him what she had done, eyes slightly distant as she described how the titan’s half-lidded eyes, slowly looked up from the grass when the strong breeze pushed its hair aside.

Darik said nothing. He just nodded slowly, hugged her tightly, and made sure she was fine. They eventually got up, and Mary took off Darik’s boots and the large coat, putting them back in their rightful places. They made their way back to the basement and Mary grabbed her boots from where they had been kicked away to when Darik ran upstairs.

It was hard for them to fall back asleep. They laid down, both thinking as they held each other, trying to stay warm. The two only got a few hours of sleep, though that wasn’t new for them from raising their two energetic children.

The window, though facing away from the rising sun, allowed the soft light of morning to brighten the dark, cold basement as the family of four slowly began to stir. It was quiet, except for the natural noises from the woods, and the family once again found themselves sitting in silence as if the basement was holding its breath, even when the rest of the world seemed to move along without any disturbance. Darik and Mary ate slowly as Buttercup, right after waking up, decidedly fell back asleep. Timothy was still breathing deeply, drool pooled lightly on the jacket he was using as a pillow.

It was yet another day.


	6. Impatience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Impatience can cause wise people to do foolish things. So what will it cause a giant, childish titan to do?

The horizon’s colors slowly changed from the deep, dark blue of the night to a light purple as the sun began to rise, and after the bright rays lit up the sky into a passionate orange-red, life stirred and greeted the morning air. The giant figure slowly lifted his heavy eyelids, shifting his body to turn himself towards the sun to take in the soft light of dawn as the grass sparkled with fresh morning dew. He let out a small cloud of steam from between his serrated teeth, almost like a yawn.

The titan sat there, growing more impatient as the sky shifted from the orange and purple of sunrise to the blue of early morning, and waited. Waited for the door to open or for a head to poke out of the broken window again. Waited for a figure to step out of the horse stables like the night before. He didn’t know if his wait was in vain or not, but he kept waiting, hoping they would do… _something_. Something similar to what had happened last night, when he was resting. When he was immobile.

When they felt… safe.

He turned away from the sunrise and back to the house.

They had to come out sometime. He had to do something if he wanted to see them, but how? What would he do when he did see them? Being alone for as long as he could remember, he had never needed to communicate with anything. The animals didn’t show any interest, and he was the only giant around. It didn’t help that this was the first time he’d ever seen a human, to his knowledge, and he didn’t know anything about them.

His eyes widened as a thought came to him.

The door had been opened by one of the humans.

Could he open it?

What if it broke?

He couldn’t get in, but maybe he could get their attention.

What if he made some noise to signal them?

It might scare them instead. What if they never came out if he did it?

He had to try.

He took a deep breath, light trails of steam drifting up from his nostrils when he exhaled. He straightened his back, lifted himself to his knees, and crawled over to the small wooden door, resting on his elbows as he put his face right next to the brick of the house, eyes carefully focused on the door. He brought up a giant hand, very slowly, and tapped the door once.

There was the firm tap, almost like a muted knock. He paused, listening closely.

It was quiet.

He tapped again, harder, and made a bang. Another moment passed and nothing happened. He moved around so he could see through the window facing the horses and peered through with a large eye, squinting as he tried to see through the casted shadows. There was another door inside to the right of the window that was across from the front door. A second door would be a problem, because that meant the family could be hiding behind it.

He pulled his head back, allowing himself to look at the front door again, and tapped it repeatedly.

Nothing happened.

The titan let out a frustrated puff of steam that drifted lazily towards the blue morning sky. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to break down the door, because he didn’t know how to fix it.

He just wanted to see the humans.

He let out a sigh and sat down at the corner of the house where he could keep an eye on the window and front door. Time seemed to pass by with overwhelming lethargy as he waited some more.

  
_______________________________________

The first of the titan’s taps startled the family out of a relatively casual breakfast; Darik and Mary were having a conversation while Buttercup annoyed her brother with her bear as he doodled on one of the spare pieces of old parchment from the pile of boxes. It was like a single knock, though muffled both because of the basement door and because of the size of the titan’s finger. Tim and Mary were the only ones to notice it, and they almost doubted that they had heard anything. But then the single thunderous bang followed after. All four went still, even Buttercup, and they waited, listening.

The sudden barrage of slightly muted, yet strong bangs resonated from the front door. The four seemed to all jump collectively, startled, and rushed to each other in a fearful group huddle, the kids protectively under the arms of their parents. Buttercup started crying with big, ugly sobs, and Tim looked like he was about to join her as he hid his face behind his jacket, his body shaking. The four waited, listening with wide eyes.

Then, as quickly as the knocks came, they stopped.

A few short minutes passed before they started to relax again. Buttercup was still crying, though her sobs dwindled down to small sniffles. Once again, they stayed silent except for Buttercup, who Mary was rocking gently. Mary turned to face Darik, who had a hand on Mary’s and Tim’s shoulders.

He had a crazy look in his eyes. Mary didn’t like that look. She hugged the kids tighter to her, trying to calm herself down. Mary shot Darik a look, a mix of confusion, exasperation, and fear, as her husband shifted away.

Darik was grabbing his gun.

Darik was standing up.

Darik was walking towards the stairs.

“Darik, what in Sina’s name are you _doing_?!” Mary’s voice was sharp like a whip, and Darik froze midstep. “Don’t you _dare_ go upstairs. It’s out there doing _who-knows-what_ , and you’re just going to get your stupid hide _killed_!” Anger. She was full of it. Anger and fear, a dangerous combination. Her lips were dry, and so was her throat.

Darik turned to her with a grim look. His voice was minuscule compared to hers. “I’m just checking,” he breathed. He turned back to the stairs and the sounds of his steps changed as he stepped from the bottom stone stairs to the wooden steps.

There was a slow groan of the protesting hinges of the basement door, a short yell, then silence.

  
_______________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Uploads will be more spaced out from now on, but I'll keep pushing forward with this story. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter done in the next two weeks.


	7. The First Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A spark of communication paves the way for a long-lasting friendship.

Darik’s not the smartest man alive, and he knows this. He is not, however, stupid enough to do something suicidal. He claims this with confidence whenever his brother tries to drag him into any dangerous situation.

And yet, here he was, staring directly at the giant  _ titan _ as it crouched down next to the house, staring directly through the window, eyes large and…  _ expressive _ .

Never in his 27 years of living would he ever imagine a  _ titan _ , humanity’s enemy, expressing an emotion other than mindless  _ hunger _ . Now, the titan hunched over and looking through the window was showing  _ emotions _ . It was almost as if it was… conscious. Aware.

Human-like.

The looming titan would have easily been able to destroy the house and kill Darik and his family, but it made no move to break the window and grab the now-shaking man. It didn’t lunge forward with a bloodthirsty, ravenous hunger like the titans Outside, the ones taught about in school or told about in old military stories. It stayed in place and was just… staring.

Mary called for Darik and started marching up the stairs after him. Reaching the door, she froze when she noticed the crouching titan, which was staying as still as it could.

“Darik, get down here!” Mary hissed.

“Wait! Mary, don’t move!”

Darik raised his left hand slowly, eyes still on the titan. It blinked slowly, like a lazy house cat would.

Then, Darik waved.

The titan slightly tilted its head to the side and squinted its eyes. It looked  _ confused _ .

Darik waved again, making the motion bigger, more dramatic. His entire body was shaking slightly.

There was a low rumble coming from the titan as it moved slightly, shifting itself to sit down closer to the window. Both Darik and Mary jumped, ready to run back down to the basement when its right arm moved to mirror Darik’s. Then, in a slightly awkward motion, it waved back.

It waved  _ back _ .

It was  _ aware _ !

A sound almost like a choked laugh came from Darik’s lips as a wild smile formed, eyes wide with a curious hunger. He paused, took in a shaky breath, and then let out a genuine laugh. He ran up to the window and waved a second time at the looming beast, a smile on his face as all sense of self-preservation left his mind. Mary was yelling at him.

The titan waved back again as a cloud of steam rose from between its serrated teeth. It was still slow, but it looked more natural than before.

“Hahaha!” Darik laughed as he turned and hugged Mary, his beautiful wife. “It’s conscious! It can think!” He kissed her. He should do that more often. “Do you know what this means?!”

“Wha-” Her words were cut off by yet another passionate kiss. She pushed him away from her slightly. “Hold on, Darik! This is a  _ titan _ !”

“It’s intelligent!”

“But we still don’t know if it wants to eat us or not!” She was furious. “Think of the  _ kids _ !”

Mary’s tone was enough to snap Darik out of his excitement.

“I’m… I’m sorry,” he replied, shaking his head as the two backed away from the window. “I… uh, well…”

Mary put a hand on his face. As she looked at him, her eyes kept darting back to the titan’s looming form outside.

“I think it’s safe to assume it’s…  _ intelligent _ , but we need to make sure it’s, you know,  _ safe _ .”

They both turned to fully face the window. The titan just looked back and waved again. Mary raised her own hand hesitantly and waved back, and the titan looked…  _ pleased _ ? It was difficult to tell without any lips to cover its horrifically giant, serrated teeth.

“But… what if…” Mary started. “I mean, could it learn more things?”

Darik turned back to his wife. “Like what?”

“Well, what about…” She trailed off as she moved away from Darik and waved both hands at the same time. The titan squinted as she continued waving, but after a few seconds its face seemed to light up. It then brought up its left arm and mimicked Mary, waving both hands at the same time.

Mary gasped as she felt the same overwhelming sense of excitement that Darik had. It was a  _ groundbreaking _ discovery! An  _ intelligent titan _ ! It could learn, and it still hadn’t attacked the family, which indicated that, even if not entirely docile, it was less of a threat than the mindless titans outside the Walls.

The two looked back at each other, brimming with curiosity at the possibilities. Mary raised an eyebrow, the corners of her lips pulling back to form a dangerous smirk.

“Well," she began. "What should we teach it next?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry for the belated (and short) chapter, but I've been struggling with finding any motivation. My self-esteem has definitely been low lately, and everything I typed just seemed sub-par. Thank you for reading as much as you have, though. I fully intend on writing more, so keep an eye out for more chapters, and all of the comments make me feel much better about writing this


	8. Remarkable and Groundbreaking

It was a remarkable and groundbreaking discovery indeed.

The titan, they found, was extremely curious. Almost too curious for its own good.

Over the next few days, Darik and Mary had interacted with the titan enough to determine it safe enough for Timothy and Buttercup to come up from the basement and sleep in their own rooms, and more importantly for all of them, their own beds. Tim was still very cautious about the titan and had almost refused to come out of the basement, but after his sister bolted up the stairs with her little ragged bear, he reluctantly followed.

They taught the titan a few different hand movements: holding up different fingers for numbers, mimicking deer antlers on the head and wiggling the fingers, and interlocking the thumbs while flapping the hands like a bird.

The day after Tim and Buttercup came up from the basement, Darik and Mary went outside together to meet the titan.

The sky was mostly cloudy, patches of blue scattered across the sea of different shades of grey and white, the sun hiding from the world only to appear for a short time like a slow game of peek-a-boo. The titan had crouched next to the shack again, carefully placing long branches on top to make a roof. As the front door opened, the titan’s ears swiveled and he turned his head to the house, still holding a branch between his finger and thumb.

He immediately dropped the branch to the side and crawled/lunged over to Darik and Mary, who couldn’t help but shrink back in fear, pressing themselves to the brick of the house as the giant titan’s looming form stopped in front of them and sat down around a few meters away.

Steeling themselves, both stepped slightly away from the wall, though Mary couldn’t help but keep the door slightly open just in case. 

Looking up at the titan was slightly dizzying, and its facial features were so nightmarish that it alone almost made Darik and Mary shake with fear. Darik reached out his hand to his wife, who eagerly grasped it with her own, and the two, standing pressed together in the titan’s shadow, prepared to speak to the beast.

“Titan!” Darik called out, his voice breaking slightly. He cleared his throat and continued. “Do you understand us?”

The titan tilted its head slightly. It was confused.

“Titan!” he called out again, slightly louder. “Can you understand me?”

The titan blinked slowly, head still tilted. It didn’t move.

“Darik, I don’t think it can,” Mary whispered to her husband, her voice also shaking. “Maybe…” Darik looked to his wife. She had an idea.

“‘Maybe’ what?”

“...maybe we can teach it?”

“How? It can’t speak without lips, and trying to teach a _human child_ is hard enough.”

“We can still try teaching it words, like our names and different objects!”

Darik rubbed his free hand over his short beard. “That could work,” he muttered.

“Of course it will!”

Darik just let out a nervous chuckle. “Alright, let’s try it.”

Mary let out a deep breath and took a couple of steps away from the house, facing the titan.

“Titan!” she yelled. The titan stared at her, waiting. Mary pointed to the titan, and yelled out again, “Titan!”

The titan lifted its right hand, awkwardly mimicking Mary’s pointing, his finger towards her. Mary shook her head, pointed to herself and said “Mary,” then pointed back at the titan. “Titan.”

The titan’s head once again tilted to the side, but after Mary pointed between the titan, herself, and Darik a few more times the titan’s eyes widened in partial realization.

The next time Mary pointed and said “Titan,” its right hand, pointer finger extended, turned to point directly at the titan’s large chest. Mary smiled wide, then pointed to herself. “Mary,” she yelled. The titan slowly moved its arm and pointed at her, its finger only a meter away. Though nervous at being so close to the titan, her grin held firm, and she pointed to her husband. “Darik.” The titan’s hand moved slightly until it was right in front of Darik.

“Wh-” Darik’s hands were shaking with nervous excitement as he grinned ear to ear. His eyes were glued to the giant hand in front of him. “It’s working!”

He let out a slightly staggered laugh.

“Mary!” He yelled out, and the giant pointed to her again.

“Darik!” and the hand moved to the man.

“ _TITAN!_ ”

The titan’s hand moved faster as it began to realize that each of the sounds the humans were saying had meaning. The one in the flowing dark blue dress was “Mary,” the slightly taller one wearing a plain earthy-colored shirt and slacks was “Darik,” and he was “Titan.” They had names, or how he understood it, special calls specific to each other, similar to how birds had their different songs, or the wolves had their howls.

And they gave him his own special “call.”

If he could have smiled, he would have grinned from ear to ear, but he settled instead on letting out a plume of steam from between his teeth and a deep, content gurgle from the back of his throat.

For the first time, he felt almost like he had a group.

Like he belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not very long, but I finally added enough to feel ok about posting it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope I can actually find motivation this week to write the next chapter before too many days merge into one big blob of time.
> 
> Anyway, uhh...
> 
> Leave a comment? Maybe? You don't have to, but I greatly appreciate it. And look forward to future chapters! Things will be picking up now, and I have great things planned out for the family.


	9. A New Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The friendly titan gets a new name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the long hiatus, I needed time to focus on college, family, and mental health. But now I'm back!
> 
> I know the story's been a bit slow, but I'm going to start picking things up from here on, hehehe ;))))))
> 
> If you'd like, check out my other work, A Tale of Tea and Dragons, which is an Avatar: The Last Airbender centered around Zuko (specifically dragon Zuko), which will have its new reworked chapter posted soon.
> 
> Please enjoy the chapter, and thank you for reading!

“Mama! Mama!” Buttercup’s voice pierced through the air as she rushed through the hallway to her parents’ bedroom, her little feet thumping on the floorboards with a remarkable amount of noise considering how small Buttercup was.

“Mmm?!” Mary lifted her head off of her pillow. “What is it?”

Buttercup’s head appeared through the doorway, her brown eyes wide. She rushed over to the side of the bed, jumping up and down with excitement.

“Titan! Let’s see the titan!”

Mary rubbed her face with her left hand as she let out a long yawn. “Hold on, baby, let’s have breakfast first.”

“Okay!” The young child replied with a smile on her face as she bounced on her heels.

“Flower, just wait downstairs for us and we’ll have breakfast soon,” Darik called over, his voice muffled and drowsy, face buried into his pillow. “After we eat, we’ll see the titan.”

Buttercup nodded before darting out of the room, her light footsteps pattering on the wood as she rushed down the stairs.

As Mary turned over to look at her husband, she was met with his grinning face.

“Wow, Honey, you have some lovely bedhead”

Mary grabbed her pillow and threw it at him as he sat up, both laughing.

  
  


_______________________________________

  
  
  


Breakfast was simple like all their breakfasts were. It had been only two days since they’d “talked” to the titan, and Buttercup couldn’t contain her excitement. Timothy, in contrast, was much less than thrilled.

“But what if it goes bad and eats us?”

“Tim, eat your food before it gets too cold.” Mary spread some butter on her piece of toast.

“But what if it’s smart enough to-”

“Look, it’s ok that you’re a bit uneasy about the titan, but it’s proven to be more… _docile_ than what we thought titans were like.” Darik took a bite of sausage before turning to Buttercup to wipe her face with a napkin.

“Your Uncle Boris tends to exaggerate his stories, and he only saw the titans from a distance. For all we know he could have made things up,” Mary stated, though she didn’t sound convinced at her own words.

“But that doesn’t mean this one is like any of the others. It got inside the outer wall after all,” Darik added.

“Well, even if this one’s friendly, what if the other titans aren’t and they get in?”

Buttercup shrunk back as her brother’s voice rose.

“Timothy Varis Barns, you’re upsetting your sister!” Mary snapped, her voice hard. “Eat your breakfast. It’s getting cold.”

With a grumble of defeat, Timothy slouched and took a bite of his toast. The rest of breakfast was uneventful, and after cleaning up the tables the family made their way outside.

Buttercup was the first outside, so impatient she didn’t even put on her shoes. And there, by the ragged shack of logs and sticks, the titan was crouched, looking at something off in the distance. A giant ear twitched at the sound of the front door opening, and as the titan turned his head to face the family Buttercup was already halfway across the yard, barreling her way through the tall unkempt grass. Looking down, the titan let out a small puff of steam and a light grumble, lowering its head to greet the family.

Timothy was still by the door, hand clutching the handle as he watched his parents and little sister approach the monstrous figure. His anxiety about meeting the titan in person didn’t seem to hit him until that very moment when he looked at the sunken eyes, serrated teeth exposed, sharp hooked nose, and its long, matted hair without the house’s walls between him and the beast. It was too much for him to handle, and before his parents could notice, Tim snuck back inside where he made his way back to the basement and distracted himself by reading a book.

Darik and Mary both found it amusing how Buttercup, despite the titan’s scary features, seemed so eager to meet him. She clutched her bear to her chest, like always, and standing next to the towering figure she seemed almost too small. Too fragile.

As the two adults approached the titan, Mary waved, a smile on her face as she called out a friendly “hello” to the friendly giant, who turned his focus from Buttercup to the parents and waved back.

“Well, what should we teach it today?” Darik asked as he reached his hand out to lightly place on his daughter’s head.

“I was actually thinking of giving it a name.”

“A name?”

“Of course! We can’t keep calling it- _him_ ‘Titan’ forever.”

“Ah, so it’s a ‘ _him’_ now too? Does that mean we’re keeping the giant?” Darik teased, an eyebrow raised.

“Well, it’s not like we can just get rid of him,” she huffed.

“What kind of name would we call a 20-meter titan?”

“First of all, he’s definitely not 20-meters tall.”

“How do you kno-”

“Second of all,” she interrupted. “I was thinking of naming him Andrew, or maybe Joseph.”

“Wait, as in your Uncle Joseph and my cousin Andrew?”

“Well, if you have any ideas, then go ahead and-”

Mary’s remark was cut off by Buttercup’s small voice as she stared at the titan’s face, beaming.

“Eren!” she called out. "E-r-e-n! E-r-e-n!" she chanted, spinning and jumping around in a circle.

“...Eren?” Darik repeated, and the young girl nodded enthusiastically. “Well, it’s certainly better than Andrew.”

Mary lightly hit her husband’s shoulder.

“Well, let’s see if Tim has any suggestions,” Mary suggested, but as she turned around to look for her son he was nowhere to be found. “Tim?”

“He might have gone back in the house.” Darik put his hand on his wife’s shoulder. “I’ll go ahead and check on him while you teach the Tita- _Eren_ his new name.”

He kissed Mary before turning back to the house and walked back as she looked back up at the titan and pointed at him.

“Eren,” she called out. Buttercup mimicked her, pointing at him and saying his new name. Once he pointed to himself, Buttercup bounced around, giggling as she swung her bear from side to side.

Mary pointed to herself and said “Mary,” and his enormous hand followed. "Eren" again, and he followed. Next, she pointed to Buttercup and said “Buttercup,” to which Eren tilted his head and looked at the two, eyes darting between the mother and her child. She repeated the name a few times until the titan’s eyes widened and jaw opened slightly as a puff of steam and a gurgling sound came from his throat. He pointed to Buttercup, whose eyes were large with wonder, a brilliantly bright smile on her face as her messy brown hair bounced around her shoulders as she jumped up and down.

The child, being the curious troublemaker of the siblings, darted forward and grabbed the titan’s index finger, wrapping her little arms around it and clasping onto it.

Buttercup’s sudden dash to the titan’s hand startled both Mary and Eren, and as Mary rushed to her daughter, who was now trying to climb onto the titan’s hand, Eren froze in place, desperately trying not to move.

And so, the exasperated mother grabbed her daughter, pulled her off of the massive finger, and set her down to scold her right as Darik opened the front door and made his way back across the yard.

“What happened?” he asked, not sure what his daughter could have done to irritate her mother already.

“She started using Eren’s finger as a playset,” Mary explained, obviously annoyed and upset.

Darik on the other hand started laughing, letting out a genuine hearty laugh that, if he was the size of Eren, would have shook the ground.

“Well, I’m glad they’re getting along already.”

“Darik, she could hurt herself!”

“Look, Mary, I’m sure she won’t get in as much trouble climbing on our giant friend’s hand than I did at her age.”

As Mary and Darik talked to each other about Buttercup and whether the kids should be allowed to play with the titan, the youngster snuck away from her mother’s side and stood next to the titan’s hand resting on the ground, which she proceeded to explore. Eren moved his hand carefully, loosely cupping it to make a cave of sorts for the girl, which she then used as a hiding spot.

“Honey, I know why you’re so worried but I’m pretty sure if Eren wanted to do anything to us he would have done it by now.”

“I know, but I’m just…” Darik pulled Mary into an embrace as she let out a tired sigh. “I’m just so tired, Darik.”

“I know. And we’re fine now, which is all that matters.” Darik ran a hand through her wavy hair. “Though I don’t think I’ll get this damn kink out of my neck,” he chuckled.

“Oh haha Mr. Funny man, make all the jokes you-” Mary stopped and looked down to where her daughter was. “Where’s Buttercup?”

A giggle came from the titan’s cupped hand, which the parents had just noticed.

“Buttercup?” Darik called out while stepping towards Eren’s hand. “Sweety, your mom’s a bit worried so can you please come out?”

Buttercup peaked her head out from behind Eren’s thumb, and rushing to her dad’s leg she apologized with a small “I’m sorry…” Mary moved past her husband and kneeled down next to her daughter.

“It’s ok, Flower, I’m not mad at you.” She ran a hand through Buttercup’s hair, taking out a strand of grass that somehow got tangled in it. “But it’d be better if you didn’t run off like that, ok?”

“Okay!”

Eren, still confused and concerned about the small child that seemed drawn to his hand, interrupted the moment with a low grumble, which caught the attention of all three.

“Oh, right.” Darik cleared his throat and called up to the titan. “Eren!”

The titan blinked, thought for a few seconds, and lifted his hand slowly to point at himself.

“Well,” Darik started, looking expectantly at his wife. “He knows his new name now. What should we do next?”


	10. The Fourth Introduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The friendly giant finally learns the name of the family's fourth and least enthusiastic member.

It was midday, and the sun’s rays were blocked by the titan’s massive figure as he towered over the three family members, trying to mimic their movements, their small voices once again making an array of sounds that seemed vastly more complicated than any other species of animal he’d heard.

The younger one with the longer name, “Buttercup,” was laughing as she ran around, one of the many sounds foreign to the titan’s ears that had been accustomed to the noises of the forest. The child was so small, yet so full of energy. It amazed the titan, and he smiled, or at least tried to, as Buttercup ran around her parents.

“Mary” and “Darik” were the full-grown ones, but what was the fourth one called? He’d left earlier, before the titan… _Eren_ could learn the boy’s name.

Eren.

The titan repeated the sound in his head along with his previous given call, “titan.”

“-ren! Eren!” Mary was waving to him, her arm outstretched above her head. She made some more sounds at him, then turned and talked to her husband, who replied with more sounds. It was a fascinating and intricate form of communication that intrigued him greatly.

He wanted to try it.

Opening his serrated mouth while moving his long tongue around, a deep growl slowly escaped through his parted teeth. The three humans backed away, startled by the sound, so he stopped, looked down, and gave a smaller growl that sounded more like a grunt.

He raised his right hand slowly up from where it was on the ground, moving it to point at his teeth. Eren once again opened his serrated mouth and attempted to speak with a softer growl.

“AAAAaaaaaeeeeeEEEEHHHHH”

Mary and Darik turned to each other with surprise, glancing at Eren as they talked. Buttercup, while mostly hidden behind her mother’s skirt, looked up to him with fascination shining in her bright eyes.

“EEeeeehhhhhhh…”

The titan released another small puff of steam, its eyes wide. He was close to making the next sound.

“EEEEEEEEeeeeeehhhhhh… hhhrrrrRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEHHHH!!”

It was more difficult than it seemed, and he didn’t have lips like the humans did. He decided that was enough, and he’d leave the talking to them.

From the reaction of the two adults, they understood what he was trying to do, and were once again making a variety of strange sounds as they showed more teeth and hopped in place. It was an amusing display that seemed to waste more energy than necessary.

Another thought came to the titan as the humans celebrated his accomplishment, however small it seemed.

Eren shifted, leaned forward with his right arm outstretched above the three small figures, his first finger pointing to the house. He let out a high pitched grunt, head tilted slightly as he stared at the family patiently and watched their expressions. After a moment of confused gesturing and discussing from the two adults and Eren repeating his grunting, Darik nodded and the three went back to the house, where they were swallowed up by the brick and wood and glass of the structure, hidden from the titan’s view.

Only a few minutes had passed, but to Eren, it felt like ages. He started eying the treeline to spot any animals wandering the edge of the forest, but once he’d passed his eyes over the trees twice he looked at where the horses were and stared at their strangeness before looking back up at the sky, only to bring his attention back to the house in less than two minutes. Like a child, he fidgeted impatiently. He wiggled his fingers, tapped them against his knees, and even played with the puffs of steam he released.

A moment later, the whole family came outside, the older child between Darik and Mary as they spoke to him in soft voices, making sure they were gentle to their son. Soon they were all by the titan, close enough for him to hear them clearly but, of course, still too close for the boy’s comfort.

After the boy’s parents and young sister talked to him, though Buttercup seemed to annoy him by trying to push him towards the titan, he calmed down and looked up at Eren’s face, high above his fragile and tiny figure. Darik put a hand on the boy’s shoulder as Mary pointed at him.

“Timothy.” Her voice rang out again. “Timothy.”

The titan nodded slowly, latching onto the sounds as the mother called them out to him. He would remember their names, no matter what.

Mary, Darik, Buttercup, and Timothy. All four of them had finally been introduced.

The rest of the day, the family stayed near Eren, who had shifted to a more comfortable position, his legs crossed, head supported on his left hand, elbow rested on his knee. His right hand was used as Buttercup’s personal playground, his fingers making shapes to let her climb on and around as her brother, Timothy, watched close by. After a while, the young girl grabbed her brother’s hand and appeared to beg him to join her, which he begrudgingly did, and even though Eren knew the boy wasn’t originally enthralled with the idea of climbing on a giant hand, he loosened up after some time and got used to the titan looming over the two children as they played together. Darik and Mary talked amongst themselves and kept gesturing towards the titan, who would glance away from the children to try to tell what the two adults were talking about, even though he understood very, very little of what they were saying. 

Eren, to keep himself busy while watching the children, studied their appearances, which were very different from any creatures in the woods and mountain area. All four of the family members had brown hair on their heads, though Darik had hair on his lower face that hid his upper lip from view. Darik’s hair was short compared to Mary’s, which went down to her shoulders, wavy and thick, and her hair draped over her light blue shirt and stopping just above the waistband of her dark blue skirt. Buttercup had hair like her mother, though shorter, stopping at her shoulders when she wasn’t running around. Timothy’s hair was more like his father’s, though shaggier and seemingly more unkempt.

Their eyes were also very interesting. While Mary had dull blue eyes, Darik had dark brown eyes that matched his hair. Buttercup had brown eyes like her father, but Timothy had hazel eyes that seemed to change color depending on the light.

Their clothes were simple; Mary wore a long sleeve shirt, light blue, that was tucked into a dark blue skirt that stopped just above her ankles. Darik wore a similar outfit but had trousers instead of a skirt and a dark green shirt. Timothy had on dark grey shorts and a light-colored shirt that looked old, likely passed down the family. Buttercup had a pale blue dress, once again old and likely passed down, and shorts similar to Timothy’s underneath. Their shoes were all dull colors and made of leather, except for Buttercup who was barefoot.

To a titan who had no base on what wealth was in human culture, this family seemed like the wealthiest in the land.

How little he knew at that time.

At some point, Darik left the group and went to the horses, where he stayed for a while. After a few hours, the family went back inside the house. Eren had waited for them at first, but once again got bored and decided to get up and look around the forest nearby for anything new, though he made sure to keep the house in sight as he wandered. He even ran around the open plains to burn some energy. Later that evening, Eren returned to the house and the family came back outside to see the titan again, bringing with them objects for him to learn. Plate. Fork. Spoon. Cup. Towel. Buttercup even showed him her teddy bear, which was named “Barty Bear.” As he learned more words, the titan’s growls were softer, like a hum of affirmation, and while his lipless mouth prevented him from smiling, his eyes managed to express the emotion for him.

As the day ended and the family went back inside the house, the titan moved next to the shed and laid down, facing the sky as the sun set and the night sky’s darkening color revealed the blanket of stars, complemented by the slimming moon. It was almost gone, just a small slice of light in the void above.

Finally, the titan’s eyes grew heavier and heavier as sleep pulled at his limbs, and after only a short time he was drawn deeply into an anticipated slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a shorter chapter than I wanted it to be, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! Because classes are starting soon, I won't have quite as much time to work on my fanfics, but I will still be writing chapters. If you have any feedback on the story or notice any grammatical mistakes or inconsistencies, please, let me know!
> 
> Also, shoutout to SenSlice for their comment on Titan Eren being able to speak. It really helped drive forward the chapter, and it made me think more about how Eren, as a titan, would try to talk when he's so used to grunting and growling.
> 
> Also, expect some changes in the story in the upcoming chapters ;D
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
